Door with adjustable screen panel



Sept. 3, 1968 THOMPSON 3,399,709

DOOR WITH ADJUSTABLE SCREEN PANEL Filed April 26, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 3, 1968 J. F. THOMPSON DOOR WITH ADJUSTABLE SCREEN PANEL 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 26, 1966 FIGB Fl.9

Sept. 3, 1968 J. F. THOMPSON 3,399,709

DOOR WITH ADJUSTABLE SCREEN PANEL Filed April 26, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent "ice 3,399,709 DOOR WITH ADJUSTABLE SCREEN PANEL John Frederick Thompson, Neutral Bay, New South Wales, Australia (Flat 5, Wardell Court, corner Frazer and Wardell Roads, Marrickville, New South Wales, Australia 2204) Filed Apr. 26, 1966, Ser. No. 545,422 Claims priority, application Australia, May 3, 1965, 58,272/65 9 Claims. (Cl. 160-37) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A door having upper and lower ventilating openings with slidable panels inside the door for opening or closing the openings.

This invention relates to a door that serves both as a normal door and as a ventilating or screen door.

In one broad form of the invention there is provided means for moving a pair of panels up and down inside a door so that open slots in the face of the door can be partly or completely opened or closed.

The said means may be moved manually or by other means such as an electric motor.

The open slots may have permanent screens at one door face and/ or a screen may move in conjunction with the panel so the opening, whatever its size will always be protected by screening.

According to the invention, there is provided a door which comprises a frame having two openings, one situated at the top third of the door and the other at the bottom third of the door. The middle third is covered by a fixed panel. Two movable panels, one for each opening, are slidable up and down inside the door in pairs of guide rails to partly or completely close the openings. The guide rails comprise a first pair of fixed guide rails situated at the top two-thirds of the door, a second pair of guide rails situated at the bottom third of the door, and a third pair of fixed guide rails situated at the middle third of the door behind and parallel to the first pair of fixed guide rails. The second pair of guide rails are pivotally mounted for rotational movement in planes perpendicular to the panels from a first position wherein the upper ends of the second pair of guide rails are directly under the first pair of guide rails, to a second position where they are directly under the third pair of guide rails.

Two preferred forms of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of a door with moving panels shown in the mid position of their travel,

FIGURE 2 is a rear elevation of the door shown in FIGURE 1 with hand operated means incorporated for actuating the panels,

FIGURE 3 is a rear elevation of a door with motor operated means for actuating the panels,

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of an actuating motor with its cover removed,

FIGURE 5 is a side elevation of a door fitted with hand operated actuating means,

FIGURE 6 is a side elevation of a door fitted with motor operated actuating means,

FIGURE 7 is a rear view in perspective of the door with its rear cover removed and the moving panels closed,

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged side elevation in half section of an upper part of the door,

FIGURE 9 is a view similar to that of FIG. 8 of a lower part of the door,

FIGURE 10 is a schematic view showing the arrange- 3,399,709 Patented Sept. 3, 1968 ment of the cords used to actuate the panels; with some of the pulleys displaced from their normal position for clarity, and

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the mechanism for laterally displacing the lower panel at the bottom of its travel.

In one arrangement all the mechanism that forms the means for moving panels 12 and 13 is fitted inside a frame 14 and faces 15 and 16 of a normal sized household door 17.

In one particular arrangement of the invention, there are two open slots 18 and 19 in the faces 15 and 16 of the door 17, one near the top and one near the bottom. Two movable panels 12 and 13 cover the slots 18 and 19 when the door 17 is being used as an ordinary door. When the door 17 is required to act as a screen or ventilating door, the means for moving the panels 12 and 13 guides them towards each other so they come to rest in an overlapping or side-by-side position in that part of the door between the two slots 18 and 19, thus leaving the two slots unobstructed.

To achieve the last-mentioned arrangement, one form of the invention may comprise a removable frame 20 located inside a normal door 17, said frame 20 containing the two panels 12 and 13 adapted to slide vertically up and down in opposed directions, from an overlapping position near the middle of the door at one extremity of travel to positions near the top and bottom of the door at the other extremity of travel. The panels 12 and 13 are connected by control cables 21 to a vertically mounted control wheel 22 located within the framework 20, in such a way that the panels slide up or down as the control wheel is rotated by some manually or power driven means.

In one form, the above-mentioned arrangement comprises a vertical rectangular shaped frame structure 20 removably fixed by screws or the like (not shown) to the inner edges of the stiles and top and bottom rails having mounted within the inner face vertical edges 23 and opposite each other, a first pair of fixed slotted guide rails 24 extending /3 the vertical length of the framework, from the top edge of the frame 20. There is positioned between these rails a vertical, rectangular shaped upper panel 12, the side edges of the panel sliding in the slots of the rails 24, thus allowing vertical movement up and down along the complete rail length. A second pair of slotted rails 25 of shorter length We the vertical length of the framework) is positioned in line with and below the first-mentioned rails 24. These rails 25 are fixed to the inner frame edges by pivot screws 26 which permit a rotational movement of the rails about the pivot point.

A tension spring 27 is positioned at an upper point on rails 25 and urges the rails 25 to rotate backwards (to the right in FIG. 11). These rails also carry a panel 13 for up and down movement.

A third pair of slotted rails 28 is centrally located on the frame and fixedly mounted thereon in a position laterally spaced from and parallel to the first pair of guide rails 24.

The lower ends of the third pair of rails 28 are positioned just above the upper extremity of the second pair or lower slotted rails 25 thus permitting entry of the panel 13 when the upper ends 29 of the lower rails 25 pivot backwards under the action of spring 27 as will be described more fully hereafter.

Attached to the lower section of the frame structure and in close proximity to the lower slotted rails are two travel lever devices 30 pivotally mounted at 31 in a vertical position. In the panel closed position that is when the panel 13 has moved down to its lowest position as shown in FIGURE 7, these lever devices 30 press the upper edge 32 of the panel 13 tightly against the inside of the outer face of the door, thus making a tight fit between the panel 13 and the edges of the slot 19. This ensures a watertight or dust tight arrangement. Similar or other sealing means may be used on the other panel. These lever devices 30 are so designed that when the panel 13 moves upwards past the foot 30A of lever 30 the top end 30B of this lever no longer presses on the panel 13 and the spring 27 causes the top 29 of the lower pair of rails to rotate backwards and align the top 29 of the lower rails 25 with the third pair of rails 28 thus allowing the panel 13 to slide upwards into the third pair of rails 28. The foot 30A coming up against the inside of face 15 of the door acts as a limiting stop to this rotational movement.

Screen mesh material 33 may be attached to the top end 34 of the top panel 12 and the bottom end 35 of the lower panel 13 and adapted to be drawn over the slots 18 and 19 as the panels 12 and 13 are withdrawn from the slots.

The panels 12 and 13 are moved with the aid of control cables 21 which may pass over pulley blocks 36 attached around the frame structure 20, and terminate at anchorage positions 37 on the vertically mounted control wheel or drum 22. This control wheel 22 may be positioned at the center point of the door 17, and is adapted to give full control of the panels 12 and 13 by means of a clockwise or counterclockwise rotation.

The control wheel can be rotated by any suitable means such as a lever 38 turned manually, or electrically by one or more synchronized gear motor units 39, driving through bevel gears 40, a spur gear 41 which engages a geared circular member 42 fitted to the control wheel 22. Such arrangement can be provided with pushbutton stopping and starting as at 43 and various limit switches (not shown), such as along the slotted guide rails 24 and/ or 28, which are operated by movement of the sliding panels 12 and 13.

The above arrangement (except for the power source for moving the panels) fits entirely in a conventional household door 17. The inside face 16 of the door 17 may be detachable so access can be had to the moving parts should adjustment be required. The slots 18 and 19 on the inside face of the door may be fitted with a decorative metal screen 44 which allows ventilation for the equipment. The door has its usual fittings such as hinges 45, latch 46, etc. As can be seen from the above description the normal sized door 17 is adapted to provide almost its area for ventilation.

The invention is in no way limited in scope by the foregoing description which in no way limits the basic concept of the provision of a sliding panel or panels Within a conventional door.

What I claim is:

1. A door comprising a frame having two openings one situated at the top third and the other at the bottom third of the door, the middle third including a fixed panel, two movable panels, one for each opening, pairs of guide rails for said panels to enable the panels to glide up and down inside the door to partly or completely close the openings, said guide rails comprising a first pair of fixed guide rails situated at the top two thirds of the door, a second pair of guide rails situated at the bottom third of the door, and a third pair of fixed guide rails situated at the middle third of the door behind and parallel to the first pair of fixed guide rails, said second pair of guide rails being pivotally mounted for rotational movement in planes perpendicular to the panels from a first position wherein the upper ends of the second pair of guide rails are directly under the first pair of guide rails to a second position where they are directly under said third pair of guide rails.

2. A door as claimed in 'claim 1 comprising means acting on said second pair of guide rails and said lower panel to cause the second pair of guide rails to move to said second position thereof as the lower movable panel is moved upwards so that the lower movable panel can slide up behind the fixed panel and the top movable panel.

3. A door as claimed in claim 2 wherein said means comprises a pair of levers pivotally mounted behind the lower movable panel and engaging the same to allow the second pair of guide rails and the panel therewith to pivot to enter the third pair of rails, and also to exert pressure from behind on the panel when it is in the lowered or closed position to make a watertight closure at the lower opening.

4. A door as claimed in claim 1 comprising pulley blocks coupled to said frame and control cables coupled to said panels and passing on said pulley blocks for moving said panels.

'5. A door as claimed in claim 4 comprising a vertical control member mounted in said middle third of the door, each cable having one end secured to an upper or lower edge of an associated movable panel and an opposite end secured to said control member.

6. A door as claimed in claim 5 wherein said control member is rotatable and is positioned at the center of the door to control the position of the movable panels by clockwise or counterclockwise rotation.

7. A door as claimed in claim 6 comprising a crank coupled to said control member to rotate the same manually.

8. A door as claimed in claim 6 comprising an electric motor coupled to said control member to rotate the same.

9. A door as claimed in claim 1 comprising screening material attached to each movable panel for being drawn across the opening as the panel is moved to the open position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,572,184 2/l926 Casey -37 1,849,371 3/1932 Grunbech 16027 X 2,319,245 5/1943 Lunken et a1. 16027 X DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

PETER M. CAUN, Assistant Examiner. 

